Just a thousand years
by VickiByrne7
Summary: Life for the Young Trib Force after the Tribulation.
1. Chapter 1

I can't believe it's been three months since the Glorious appearing. The Millennium is amazing; it is literally heaven on earth. Judd and I have relocated to Israel and have a bigger home that we did in Petra, in which we and our two adopted kids live. Anne is seven years old and looks just like me, with her fiery red hair. Judd says her personality is the same also. Then we have Mico, a four year old boy. We are not quite sure where he came from, since he doesn't really remember. When he first came to live with us, he didn't talk much, but he has warmed up.

The Young Trib Force has a new mission now. We are mainly helping with young children and telling them about God. We have been able to help Buck and Chloe with COT, or Children of the Tribulation. It has been a lot of fun helping with young kids and not being chased all the time.

I look out the window of the dwelling and see Judd and the kids coming my way. Judd is holding the sleeping Mico, and Anne trudges behind, looking tired. When the walk in the door Judd greats me with a kiss and goes to put Mico to bed. I take Anne to her room, where she quickly falls asleep. After both of them are asleep, Judd and I go into the living room and sit down. Even though things have been much calmer that in the Tribulation, having two young children in the house still is quite tiring.

"How were they" I ask Judd.

He chuckles. "Good. They love to see Uncle Lionel."

I laugh. "They love to see all the aunts and uncles. "

"So, how was it here while we were gone?"

"Quite." I say

Judd laughs, "Hasn't been that quite since when there were only four in the group and we lived at my parent's house, right?"

"Oh yeah." I sigh. "You know, sometimes I still think the GC is coming after us. I guess this safety and relaxation is just too new. "

"I know what you mean. I still have dreams about everything that happened. I remember all the times we almost got arrested, or all the times we narrowly escaped death. But it all led to today."

"Yeah, your right. " He kisses me.

_Every moment in the Tribulation led to today._


	2. Chapter 2

I sat on the couch on a beautiful Tuesday morning. The kids were with Shelly. Judd was to be coming back from going to see Mark.

Judd comes in and sits down by me. He kisses me.

"What`s up with Mark?" I ask. It's nice to just be able to talk with him now. During the Tribulation we mainly spoke by phone or email. Sitting face to face with him is something very nice.

"He has been catching up with John a lot. Telling him everything that happened after his death. He has also been hanging out a lot with Janie." Judd says, getting up to get a drink.

"Oh, ok" I will have to ask Janie about that. I hear a knock at the door and look at Judd. No one was coming over today. I go and get it and see an angel.

"My name is Gabriel. I come with great news of great tidings. For you shall deliver a child and dedicate the babe to the Lord. The child shall grow in the path of the Savoir and shall be taught by thy parents, who have been found humble in the site of the Lord." The angel vanished.

I look at Judd, who is as shocked as I am. _A child_. _That must mean I am-_

Judd looks at me and stutters, "You`re….you`re-"

"Pregnant" we say at the same time. I can`t be pregnant. It's just- just not possible. I`m still so young. So is Judd! Then again we are about the age Chloe was when she had Kenny.

"We are going to be parents." Judd says, as if he doesn't believe it.

"We already are," I say. And I start to think about Anne and Mico. What will they think about this? What will the rest of the Young Trib Force think? What will our parents think?

"Yeah. But I mean this is _our_ child. Biological. And the child will be so young, and three kids? Do you think we can do this?"

"I don't think God would give us a child we can't take care of. But I am still as shocked as you are. Maybe we should talk to someone-someone like Chloe and Buck."

"Yeah. Maybe we should-and before we tell anyone else."

I nod. I can`t believe this. We are so young. But, if this is what God wants, we will do it. I know Judd is thinking the same thing by the look on his face.

"Anyway, what would we even name a little child?" Judd says.

I laugh. _One of us always will have a sense of humor._


	3. Chapter 3

It has been three weeks since we found out we were expecting. It has been crazy. We haven't told anyone yet, but we are planning on telling Buck and Chloe this afternoon, just to get some advice. Then tomorrow, we will tell the rest of the force.

We have told Anne and Mico, and they are both quite excited about having a little brother or sister. They both know that they might be sharing a room with the new child once they get older, but it doesn't seem like they mind.

The kids are with their Aunt Jeannie today. They have taken to her very well. Actually, they have taken to everyone quite well. It's amazing, considering the fact there are so many people to become acquainted with and they are so young. They have made fast-friends with the other children in the area, and Mico plays much with Kenny Bruce.

Judd comes into the living room. He kisses me and asks, "Are you ready to go?"

I nod. "Yeah." I grabb some shoes and we leave.

Buck and Chloe live pretty close to our dwelling. Their place is about the same size, with just the two of them and their five year old son, Kenny, living there.

Chloe comes to the door before we can even knock. I smile. It's great to see her again. I remember when we were only about a year into the Tribulation and we used to study prophecies in Bruce`s office.

She lets us in, and we see Buck sitting at a table with three other chairs around it. Kenny is sitting on his lap.

"It's good to see you guys." I say. We haven't sat down and talked in a while.

'It is good to see you two also. What was so important that you needed to talk about?" Buck asks as we sit down.

Judd tells them how the angel told us we were expecting. Chloe`s face lights up the same way mine did when I found out she was pregnant with little Kenny.

"Congratulations! How far along are you?" Chloe asks.

I look at Judd and smile. "A few weeks."

"Wow. You must be quite excited" Buck says.

"We are, Buck" Judd says.

"Cameron, please. There is nothing to buck around here." He says.

Judd nods. I pipe in, "We thought it would be good to come to you two, and get some advice."

Chloe smiles, "Apparently we must be the people to ask."

We all laugh.

"Well, you did raise Kenny during the Tribulation and now you`re helping with COT" I say.

Chloe nods," So what do you want to know?"

Judd looks at me, "Well, I guess any tips, pointers, stuff like that for having a newborn around." He says

"Okay" Cameron says, "But remember that your pregnancy will be much different than ours was. We were trying to stay alive while trying to raise Kenny."

Judd and I nod.

Buck starts out by telling us how they found out they were expecting. He said it was right after the earthquake. Buck had been searching for Chloe when he came across a hospital with information on her. They said to ask for a "Mother Doe". Buck said he asked why they would name her that, and the doctor said that by the time Chloe had gotten there they had gotten into descriptive terms. He told them she was not a mother, and they told him that in seven months she would be. From that point his biggest priority was getting to Chloe in time to get her out of the hospital. The GC was coming for her, and he was not going to let them get her.

"Wow." Judd says.

Chloe nods, "The pregnancy was painful at times. But we are in the millennium, so you probably will be OK. "

I nod. That's a relief.

Chloe starts to tell us how to care for a newborn, what things they will need and that the child will keep us up a lot in the night.

"Do you two have any names that you are thinking of for the baby?" Chloe asks.

"No, not really" I say. We haven't really talked about names yet, but now that she says it, we probably should. The child`s name is an important part of its life.

Chloe smiles "Don't worry. We didn't start thinking right away either. But we knew that we wanted the names to be special. We decided that we either wanted the names to be after a person in the Bible, or to be a person we both knew."

"So you went with Kenneth Bruce." Judd says.

Cameron nods. "After the late Ken Ritz and Bruce Barns."

"Wow. " I say. "What were you going to name Kenny if he had been a girl?"

"Amanda Rose" Chloe says. "After Amanda and Leah Rose. We were thinking either that or Victoria Eve"

"Really?" I say. It shocks me that they would want to name their child Victoria after me.

"Yeah." Chloe says.

I look at Judd. I want to make this babies name special.

I think of all the people who have helped me or influenced me.

It's too long a list to even think about.

* * *

**Specail thanks to Silvermist475 for helping me and encouraging me and to Juliafessenden2288twilight for pointing out my spelling errors. :)**

**New update coming soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

Today is the day. The Young Trib Force and some other close friends will all meet for a picnic. Today we will tell them.

I`m pretty nervous. _What will they think? What will they say? How will they react? _Chloe and Buck were excited for us, but they are actually parents, so they know the excitement.

The kids are with Shelly, and will meet us there. Judd looks at me. I nod to let him know I`m ready. _Here goes nothing._

* * *

I see the rest of the force. Anne and Mico run towards Judd and I.

" Mommy! Mommy! Aunt Shelly read us the story of Noah!" Anne says, excitedly. That is one of her favorite Bible stories.

" Wow!" I say. I whisper thanks to Shelly and she makes her way over to Conrad.

I see Chloe with Buck and Kenny. They are what I think when I hear the perfect family. Buck and Chloe have always had such a love for each other, and the love they have for Kenny is amazing! They sacrificed for him.

I see Rayford Steele with his first wife Irene and their son, Raymie. Raymie is talking to Ryan and Lionel. I look around and see Mac McCullum, Chang, Naomi, Ming,Ree, and others from the adult force. I see Chaya, Darrion, Natalie, John, Mark, Colin and Becky, Tanya and Ty, Janie, Melinda, Lenore and Tolan. Memories flood my mind. When Janie and I were in Northside together. When Melinda was hunting us all down. When I first met Natalie. I`m overwhelmed with jo. All my friends are gathered here today.

Judd, being the leader he is, gets the ball rolling. He says how happy he is that everyone was there, how blessed we all were, and so on. Eventually he says we have an announcement.

I go and stand beside him, with Anne and Mico in front of us. I see Chloe grin. Buck is holding Kenny in his one arm and the other one is wrapped around Chloe. I breathe in. Looking at all my friends, I remember every moment in the Tribulation, were I could not wait for the Millenium. Its finally here, and the things that have happened are beyond amazing.

Judd starts and says how the two of us have been blessed with Anne and Mico. How they have been so amazing and such a gift. Judd looks at me, and I know what he means.

I look at Anne and Mico. And then Chloe and Buck and Kenny. " Well, you all know how God has blessed us with these two amazing children. And know He is blessing us in another way."

People look at each other. Chloe is beaming with joy for us.

I look at all my friends and say, " We`re expecting."

Everyone immediately starts to smile and say congrats. I can barely tell who is talking to me. I`m smiling from ear to ear, and can see Judd is too.

All of the people who came today seem to be very happy. They break into small groups and talk, all smiling. People come up to us and congratulate us.

Shelly, Janie,Melinda, Chaya and Darrion come over to me. They are gushing. " Congrats. You will be awesome!" They say. I smile.

"Thanks." I turn to see Judd talking to Lionel and Ryan. They are both probably super excited. They have known us the longest. Lionel was there when Judd and I got married, and was Judd`s best man.

Rayford comes up to me and Judd and tells us that he is very proud of us, " Vicki, I know Chloe was very fond of you. You two will be amazing. God will use you again in this new child`s life."

I smile and we thank him. Chloe comes us to me and I smile.

"Well, congrats, again."

"Thanks"

"And remember what my dad said. You will be influential in this child`s life just like you were to people in the Tribulation. You are responsible for him or her, and it will most likely be different that Mico and Anne. This is _your_ child. Teach your children what you know, and you will have amazing kids, just like yourself"

"Thanks"

_Amazing kids just like yourself. Hmm. _


	5. Chapter 5

_3 months later._

Things are starting to get a little crazier. I'm three months along, and Anne has turned eight. It was her first birthday with us and it was amazing. The whole Young Trib Force celebrated along with some of Anne`s friends.

I look around at the beautiful world I`ve come to know has home. It will be amazing to live here for the next thousand years. Judd is at home with Mico and Anne, and I am going to Chaya`s place to have lunch. I haven`t gotten to spend as much time with her as I would`ve liked, but know I am really trying to catch up with her more.

I see Kenny and his friend Beth Ann run by, chased by Beth`s mom, Priscilla. I laugh. They were friends ever since the Tribulation.

I come to a stop at Chaya`s home and knock. I wait for a moment and then she comes and opens the door with a smile.

"Come in." She says. Her place is quite nice, but simple. Its` smaller than my and Judd`s home, but there is only one person living here.

We sit down. She has prepared chicken. She looks at me.. " Shall we say grace?"

I nod and she begins, " Dear Lord, Thank you for this food and this amazing world we can know live in. Thank you for this friendship Vicki and I have had and please help us renew it in the years to come. Please lay your hand on Vicki and help her during this pregnancy. Thank you for being loving and merciful. Amen.

"Amen" I say and we begin to eat.

" This is good" I tell her and she says thanks.

"So, how is the pregnancy going?" She asks me.

I put my fork down. " Good. Its taken a little getting used to. Anne and Mico are really excited to have a new little brother or sister. And things will defiantly be different with a newborn around."

She laughs, " Nothing you can`t handle."

"Yeah, well I think raising a newborn might be a little different than running from the GC"

"Maybe so," She says. " But you`ve been through a lot. You can do it. After all, you did survive the tribulation."

"Yeah." I say. " But this will defiantly be a challenge, no matter what I`ve been through."

" I guess so. Speaking of children, have you seen Kenny Williams lately?"

"Yeah. I saw him playing with Beth Ann Sebastian while I was coming over here. He sure is getting big. "

She laughs again." Yes. They are quite close friends."

"Well, they did live together in a safe house."

"Yes. He is very energetic boy. Sometimes I watch him for Chloe and Cameron while they are helping with COT. He is so much fun to be with."

I nod. "He sure is"

"Yes"

" So, what have you been up to"

" Oh, you know same old same old. Helping with COT, taking care of Kenny, spending time with my family."

"That`s it? Nothing new?" I say.

"Well... there is something new"

"What is it?" I say, excitedly.

She looks a little nervous. She looks down at her watch. " Wow, did we lose track of the time. I am supposed to be helping with COT in 5 minutes. I have to get going. Are you done?"

"Yes, but -"

" I really have to go. Could I come by your place later tonite? We could finish the conversation."

" Ok" I say hesitantly. We walk to the door. I really want to ask her what she was going to say, but I don`t to be rude.

"I am so sorry" She says.

"Its fine. Go"

She nods and says goodbye and runs off. I start to walk home.

_What is she hiding?_


	6. Chapter 6

I sit in the living room, shaking. I`m nervous about what Chaya has to say and it shows. Judd knows I am sitting here, a wreck, so he took the kids to the other room to play. It is 7 p.m. , so Chaya should be here soon. I wish she would just come know.

I don`t know what to expect. I think of all times someone told me big news. When Lionel told me that Chloe was pregnant. That one was good. When I found out Chloe had died, that was bad. I start to reel out all these times in my head and label them. _Finding out Buck had died bad. When I found out Judd had feelings for me good. When I found out I was pregnant good. When I found out Judd and Lionel had been captured by bounty hunters bad._ I think some more and realize that most of the things on my bad list are finding out people had died, and Chaya will not be telling me a believer died. For the next hundred years, children who were born in the Tribulation will have the chance to decide whether to follow Jesus to not. Only unbelievers will die. So, that I know, the only death would be that a little kid died or rejected Jesus and the I don't think the first one with happen for a while.

I try to think of the good things that have happened. She could have a boyfriend. That would be very good. Someone to work alongside her. A little kid could have accepted Christ or gotten adopted. There are a lot of good things that could have happened.

I hear a knock at the door and I jump. _That must be her._ I open the door and see a tired Chaya.

" Hey" I say, trying not to sound to anxious.

"Hey. " She says, tiredly in a soft tone. " Boy, were those kids tiring today. It seems like there is more and more of them every time I go there"

I laugh. I hope she can`t see past my smile and see that I am nervous about what she is going to say.

" Lets sit." I say. We take a seat and I look down at the floor. " So...where were we?"

She sits upright. " Oh yes. My news. Well, it happened very recently, so I haven`t really told anyone, besides my mother and father. "

I nod. I don`t want to be rude, but I really wish she would just be strait-foward and tell me.

"Well, do you remember how, back during the Tribulation, I used to help Bruce out at the church?"

"Yeah" I say, I remember her being there a lot when Chloe wasn`t.

"Well, he offered my a new job."

"Thats so cool!" I say. My nervousness slowly fades away with the sound of the good news._ "_What will you be doing?"

"Teaching younger kids. And training some youth." she says, smiling.

"Thats really cool, but don`t you already do something like that with COT?"

"Yeah, but...this is a little different."

"How?" I ask, the nervousness coming back.

I see her sigh. "I have to go somewhere."

"Where is that, exactly?" I say, trying not to stutter.

"Italy" she says, calmly.

Inside I am freaking out, but on the outside, I am trying to keep composure. "What? Why?

"They are trying to have people go out and start little COTs like Buck, excuse me, Cameron and Chloe did here. I will be going to Italy to minister up there."

I stare down at the floor. " When do you leave?"

"Next week. "

"How long are you gone?"

"Three months. After that I will come back and it will be determined how long I would stay next time."

I try not to look at her, but I suddenly feel a wave of peace. She will be going and doing God`s will for her. Who am I to try to stop her? I will be sad, of course, and I will miss her, but I have to encourage her through out this journey.

I look at her and smile, " I`m happy for you."

"Really? I knew you would be supportive, but I though you might be upset or angry or something."

" Of course I am sad, I won`t see you for three months. But that shouldn`t stop you from going and doing this amazing thing. God has an awesome plan for these kids lives and He is gonna use you in it."

She is trying to hold back tears." Thank you" She whispers.

I manage to get through the rest of the night with no tears. Only after she leaves do I cry. There is a little sadness, but mainly joy for my friend.

_There is a lot of joy to be expecting. _


	7. Chapter 7

_3_ _months later_

The harsh January wind beats against me as I walk. Tears sting my eyes. Thoughts for the seven years of pain that I lived through fill my head. I don`t feel sorrow, as much as it makes me just want to cry, out of what emotion I don`t know. Maybe joy from what it brought.

These thoughts have flooded my head since Chaya left. I immediately remembered they day that she had died after she left. I`ve told Judd about this, and he says he has it to. That the memories keep coming back, no matter how happy he is. It must just be a part of being human.

I try to think of all the good things that have happened recently. Chaya`s leaving for Italy was a bittersweet moment. Judd and I celebrated out first Christmas and Thanksgiving with Anna and Mico. Chloe and Cameron have had a huge success with COT. Ryan and Darrion have spent a lot of time together and have been getting close. My little sister Jeannie has matured and moved out from my parents place. Lionel has spent a lot of time with his uncle. Mark and John have spent a lot of time with Carl, Tom and Luke and all went on a small missions trip to Germany for COT.

I still struggle with the pain though, but I believe everyone does. We all saw different things though out those seven years. At one point I was tired of being strong. Judd and Lionel said they were the same way, Judd especially saying he wanted to give up while they were stuck in Israel, but he knew he had to keep going. He always says how worth it it was.

I have talked recently with Chaya about the memories I have remembered, retelling the stories of us so close to capture. She will be getting back next week, and we will trade more stories then. I have reminisced with Shelly, Melinda, Darrion,Janie and the other girls. They all remember the pain too.

Every thought floods my mind. Capture, death, fleeing, everything. I suddenly realise I am not paying attention to where I am going when I feel something in my path.

I look up and see a girl, probably around my age, standing there. " I`m sorry." I say.

She looks at me. She gives me a nod to mean she accepts my apology. " Um, you wouldn`t happen to be Vicki Bryne, would you?" she asks.

"Yes, I am" I say.

_How does she know who I am?_


	8. Chapter 8

I wonder how this girl could possibly know who I am. She doesn`t look familiar. I think of all the people whom she looks like. Maybe someone from Nicolae High?

The girl smiles at me. " Wow. I never thought I would actually meet you." I look at her closely. Who could she be?

I must look confused, because she immediately jumps in to explain. " I`m sorry if that all sounded a bit weird, it's just I had heard about you and always wanted to meet you. I`m Renee."

"Why would you want to meet me?"

"It's a bit of a long story, but-"

" You can tell me. I have time. Plus I love those kinds of stories."

She laughs and we find a place to sit. She doesn`t waste time getting into her story. " Well, I was thirteen when the Rapture happened. I didn`t know what had happened. My mom had talked a lot about God and how Jesus would come back, but she died when I was ten. I lost my little brother who was six. My dad went crazy and just left me and my sister alone. He said it was the end of the world. My sister was sixteen. We didn`t know what to do, but pretended we were fine and that there was an adult at home. We didn`t want to get separated.

" I started to hear about God when I went back to school, but of course we wern`t supposed to. I thought the kids who talked about that were crazy. But I wasn`t really all for Carpathia. I thought he was kinda cool, but he wasn`t the answer to all of our problems. And after those attacks, World War 3 I guess you would call it, he looked so fake. He had no sympathy but said he did. That kinda bugged me.

"After my sister graduated she decided to become a GC peacekeeper to make some money so she could keep the two of us alive. She got saved while she was working there. Some friend of hers was a Christian and told her about it, and she believed. She called me and emailed me about it and I told her I would look into it. Next thing I knew I got a letter saying she was caught with a Bible and was being sent to a re-education camp. Level 5 they said. I got a call from her a few days later. She told me to find a good church. She didn`t think she would be getting out alive.

"A month later a got a letter saying she had died from an unknown source. I knew what had killed her. I was furious. Hated that GC at that point. I started to go crazy from the pain. Cut myself. Tried unsuccessfully to kill myself. I was raging mad at the GC. I had a really rich friend who was obsessed with Carpathia and she invited me to go see him in some event in Israel. I agreed, thinking maybe I could wreck some havoc on the GC. When I went over there, we had trouble getting in and had to wait outside for a while. That`s when Vicki B. came on and started to talk about how you could get saved. It finally made sense to me. I got saved then and there.

" I went home after that and found some underground church. Learned a lot from a website called the underground, or something like that. "

I finally pipe in. " The underground. Yeah. That was my and my friends website."

"Yeah. A lot of the messages were signed _Vicki B_.. Anyway, I lived in secret until the 5th year of the Tribulation. That's when the church got found out. They were gonna kill all of us. But some other Christians came in and somehow got a few of us out. I was one of them. They took me in for a while, and then I went to Petra. I was part of the last battle there. Got shot and I thought I was gonna die, but God healed me. Then the Glorious Appearing happened. I have been living with my sister, Natalia, ever since."

There is a brief silence. "Wow. That is amazing." I say.

She smiles. "Thanks. Its been amazing being able to tell you my story."

" Its been great to hear. I would love to tell you my story some time, but first I have some people who I would like you to come meet."

"Who " She says.

"My friends. The Young Trib Force."

"Really?" She says" That would be amazing. Do you think they will like me?"

"They will love you."


	9. Chapter 9

**I don`t own Left Behind The Kids but I do own Renee and Mico and their stories!**

* * *

I`m taking Renee over to see the rest of the Young Trib Force. I called them and told them to all get together, and that I had a surprise. Renee looks ecstatic.

I walk her over to a large building where we often meet. Inside, everyone is anxiously awaiting the news I have for them. They all see Renee and look at me with wondering eyes. I simply smile and keep walking until I find a place to sit.

Mark is the first one to introduce himself to Renee. He introduced her to John, Charlie, Tom, Luke, Carl and some of the other guys. When he was done I pointed out the girls and then Anne and Mico.

"It is nice to meet you all." Renee said, shyly.

I step in to break the ice. " Renee has a really great story." I look over to her. " Would you mind telling them?"

She shakes her head and starts right into her story, warming up as she goes. Everyone looked at her, drinking it in as I did. It's always amazing to hear the stories of other believers. Their triumphs, expeditions, run-ins with the GC and every other thing that was important to them. When she was done, everyone launched in with questions for her.

"Where does you younger brother live?" Janie asked.

"Carson lives with us. So does my mother." Renee said, with a smile on her face.

"Did you have any close friends around you age?" Ryan said.

She nodded. "Yes, I did. There were five other teens in that underground church. Kacie, who is my age. Maxwell, who is two years older than me. Cassie, who was a year younger than me. Scott, who was a year older than me. And then Austin, who is two years younger than me."

"How many of them lived out the Tribulation with you?" Lionel said.

" Two. Scott and Cassie. Maxwell and Kacie died when we were found out by the GC. They got beheaded. And Austin was shot by a bounty hunter. "

Lionel looked at Judd and shuddered. "Man, I hated those guys. Almost got our heads. Twice!" Judd shook his head.

Shelly piped in. " How many others lived in the underground church?"

Renee smiled. "A lot. For being cramped, there was many of us. I think it was forty. It doesn`t sound like much, but for being in a small place, it felt like more. I didn`t know everyone well though. The leader of the group was a guy named Timothy wife helped a lot. Her name was Tia. And they had a daughter, Megan. There were a few young children besides Megan, who was four. There was Leah, Markie, Kyle, Amber, and Bryan. I sometimes took care of them. I knew all there parents, but you probably don`t want to hear me ramble on with all of these names. And all the people I met."

Shelly shook her head. " No keep going. It`s interesting. And we all retell out stories like this."

"Ok, well, I remember Leah`s mom, Josie. Her dad had died in the earthquake. And then there was Markie`s parents, Taylor and Mia. And Kyle`s dad, Josh. And then poor little Amber. She was only three. Both her parents had died. And then Bryan`s parents, Jessie and Peter. They kids didn`t get found out when the GC found us. They were in a different place with some others. We had more than one place where we lived. They were all in a two-mile radius though. "

"We used to be a little split up too. Kinda like that. We were in different houses, all a few blocks away. And then there was Judd, Vicki and Lionel who lived in Petra." Conrad said.

"Where did you live before the disappearances?" Melinda asked.

"Florida."

The questions lingered on and I felt a warmth in me I hadn`t felt in a while. Everyone was happy. Together. And we had just met a new friend. Renee seemed very happy to be with all of us. And we were all happy to have her.


	10. Chapter 10

_3 months later._

I sit in the living room of my and Judd`s dwelling sipping tea. Judd has just put the kids to bed. I am not exactly sure where he is, but he should be coming out soon.

I am coming to the end of my pregnancy and I am more excited than I have ever been. Judd and I decided that we wanted to be surprised so we still don`t know the gender of the baby. We have discussed names and have a name picked out for either way. Chloe said that she and Cameron did it the same way and that it was worth it all the way.

Judd comes into the room and I smile at him. He takes a seat next to me. " Well, Anne and Mico are in bed. Boy, did they have a lot of energy today."

I laugh and nod, " They have a lot of energy everyday." Judd smiles in agreement.

"So, how are you feeling?" He asks me.

"Okay. I am defiantly ready to have this baby though."

He nods. "Are you nervous?"

I look down at the tea I am holding and then look at him. " Of course. More nervous than I can remember. Don`t get me wrong, I am so excited and happy, but I am really nervous that I am gonna mess something up. Or that I won`t be able to handle it."

"Yeah, but we handled seven years of the Tribulation. I think we should be able to handle a child."

I nod and sigh. "Yeah, but this is different than a child, Judd. Its _our_ child. And a newborn. This baby is going to be harder to take care of than Anne and Mico. "

Judd looks at me in the eyes. "I know, but do you think Christ would give us a situation that we couldn`t handle? We were able to handle every moment in the Tribulation because he gave us strength. He will give us strength for this too."

"Yes. I know. I guess... I guess I don`t know. Everything is going to be so different, and I just don`t know if I am ready for the change."

"You are ready. We both are."

I smile and he kisses me. Then I feel it.

My water just broke.

* * *

**Sorry Its such a short chapter, but I will update as soon as I can. **


	11. Chapter 11

Today is going to be one of the best days of my life. I haven`t even noticed until now, but its has been exactly one year since the Glorious Appearing. To top it off, my water broke a few hours ago.

It is about 3 am. Anne and Mico have gone to my parent`s house. Shelly, Chloe and Wanda, the midwife who helped deliver Cheryl`s son, Ryan Victor, are here, along with Judd. Judd looks ecstatic and Chloe is saying she is very happy for us.

I feel another contraction coming on. I am in a little pain, but I know there is much more to come.

Wanda takes a look at me. "You`re ready to push." She says.

Chloe smiles at me, "You can do it."

_I can do it._

* * *

I can`t belive this is real. Here is am holding my beautiful new baby. The sun is beating in through the window as I look at her face. The whole Young Trib Force is here, with a few members of the adult force. I am so blessed.

_She is mine_. I think. _My baby. _I have an overwheling sense of joy when Anne and Mico hold her. They are very happy to meet their younger sister. Shelly, Chloe, my family and Judd`s family all hold her and are amazed with her.

I see Renee is the corner and call her over. "Do you want to hold her?" I ask. Renee nods and sits down in a chair next to me. I hand my precious daughter to her. Renee smiles shyly. She hands her back and Judd come and stands next to me.

"What is her name?" Bruce asks.

"Well, we actually wanted to say it in front of everyone." Judd says. "If we could have your attention." He turns to me.

I look at my little girl and begin. "Well, we have thought a lot about the name. We talked to Chloe and Cameron and they gave us a really good piece of advice: Make the name special. To either make it the name of someone who have influenced you or the name of a Bible hero. So after a lot of though, we have decided on a name that means a lot to us both"

Everyone smiles at me, awaiting what I am going to say.

I smile. "Her name is Chloe Renee."

Chloe immediately comes and hugs me. There are tears in her eyes, and a smile on her face. Renee does the same and whispers to me " Thank you for everything you did. You have been amazing to me. I might not even be here if it wasn`t for you."

"Your Welcome. And thank you for everything you have given me."

She smiles. "I hope little Chloe Renee will be as amazing as you."

_I hope Chloe Renee will be amazing like the people she is named after._


	12. Chapter 12

_4 months later_

The months since Chloe Renee`s birth have been crazy, yet there is a  
peace amongst our household. Little Chloe is growing fast, and Anne  
and Mico are loving having a little sister. Judd and I have both  
adjusted to having a newborn in the house, but we both know that  
there will be more change in the days and months ahead.

Chloe Renee has been such a blessing in so many ways. Even her  
birthday is a reminder of God's provision. She was born on the one  
year anniversary of the Glorious Appearing. That will always remind me  
that God is still in control.

The past four months have been quite eventful for the Young  
Tribulation Force. Shelly and Conrad have gotten engaged, and we are  
all very excited. Chaya returned from her missions trip and got to  
meet little Chloe. She did on another trip though, this one for eight  
months. Darrion and Ryan are dating . Those two have matured so much  
since I first met them. Also Renee and Mark have become quick friends.  
It's nice to see that they get along so well.

I'm sitting outside Judd and my dwelling, watching Anne and Mico play.  
I hold my little Chloe Renee in my arms. She is sleeping soundly,  
looking peaceful.

Judd and Lionel are walking towards me, coming from helping Rayford  
will some repairs for a church building a few miles away. Judd comes  
and gives me a kiss and sits in the seat next to me. Lionel chooses  
to stand, leaning against the side of the house.

"How are they?" Judd asks me, casually.

I sigh. "They're fine. Playing up a storm. Hopefully they will be  
tired later. As for this little one,"I say looking down at  
Chloe,"she's been sleeping for a while."

Judd laughs and offers to go get some water. He walks into the house,  
with Mico following at his heal.

I look back at Lionel. "So," I ask. "How was the repair work?"

"It was good. We got a lot done. That church is gonna look amazing by  
the time we're done with it.

"Well, that's good. I haven't talked to you in a while. What's up?" I say.

Lionel grins. "Not much really. I've been hanging out with my uncle  
and Ryan. Man, did I miss them through out the Tribulation. "

I nod. " I know. We missed a lot of people. Can you believe it's really over?"

The question seems to take him by surprise. He thinks about it for a  
second and then answers. "Yeah, I think so. Don't get me wrong, I  
still think about it all the time, but I think I've come to peace. The  
Millennium was something I didn't mind having to get used to."

"Yeah. That makes scene. I still think about it a lot. I thought about  
it a lot during my pregnancy. Judd thought about it a lot to. We both  
had dreams of it and it was on my mind a lot."

Lionel nods. "That's normal. I still think about it to. It's natural.  
We're human. "

Judd comes with three glasses of water and two small cups of juice for  
Anne and Mico. We thank him and he sits back down.

"So,what are you guys talking about?" Judd ask,sipping his water.

I look at Lionel and answer. "The Tribulation."

Lionel jumped in." About whether we still think about it."

"Oh." Judd says. "Well, I think about it. What about you, Lionel?"

"Yeah. I was just telling Vicki that I-" Lionel stops.

I look at him. He is staring at something. I turn my head to see what  
he is fixed on. Walking on the sidewalk, there is a girl, probably  
around Lionel's age.

"Lionel, what are you looking at?" Judd questions. It seem like  
Lionel can't hear him. Either that or he is just not responding. I  
don't understand why he is perplexed on this girl. That is not his  
personality.

"No, it can't be." Lionel says, quietly. The girl must sense something  
because she looks over at us. Her eyes lock with Lionel's, and she has  
a look of unbelief on her face. She nods at Lionel.

"I can't believe it." Lionel says, under his breath.

I look at him, with a confused look on my face. I look Judd and he  
looks puzzled as well. Lionel looks at us and then the girl. She is  
making her way across the street.

Lionel smiles at me. " Call Melinda." He has a twinkle in his eye as he speaks.

"Why?" I asks, curiously.

Quietly, yet energetically he says, " It's Felicia."


	13. Chapter 13

I sit in shock. It can't be. Lionel runs over to her while I whip out my phone and make a quick call Melinda. I call Conrad, thinking he might like to see his old partner. I don't tell either of them the good news though.

I walk over to Lionel. Felicia comes to us , smiling. She looks first at Lionel. "It' s you. You were my partner when I was a GC Morale are... you' 're Lionel!" Lionel nods. They hug and she looks to me.

"You were the girl we were after. The GC wanted you badly. You helped take care of me when I was dying. You' 're Vicki Byrne, right?"

"Yeah." I whisper. She turns to Judd.

"The GC wanted you too. I don't remember you that we'll, but you were kinda the group's leader, right?"

"Yes. I'm Judd Thompson."

"Right." she says. "Wow. I can't believe it. I didn't think I would ever see you guys again."

"We didn't think we did ever see you again either." Lionel says.

She gives a slight smile. "I guess I have some explaining to do."

I turn and see, running on the sidewalk, Melinda. She looks confused, not knowing what all the fuss is about. I smile at Melinda when she catches a glimpse of Felicia. She looks to me, as if asking if what she was seeing was correct. I nod.

She gains speed and yells out, "Felicia!"

Felicia turns to see what is happening and immediately when she sees Melinda, she runs to her. The two girls embrace, both smiling.

"What are you doing here?" Melinda asks.

"Well, isn't it obvious? I am enjoying the Millennium!"

Melinda laughs. "I mean what -"

"I know .You want to know what I'm doing _here_. " Felicia says.

Melinda looks a little embarrassed. "Well, yeah."

Felicia is about to explain when Conrad walks on to our yard. When she sees him, she rushes to him. She hugs him, but Conrad still looks baffled.

"How?" He whispers.

"I will explain."

Judd and Lionel run into the house and grab a few chairs. We all sit and I put Chloe in her baby swing, which is next to my chair. I look to see Anne and Mico playing on the ground still. I turn to see Felicia, but keep an eye on them.

Felicia looks at the ground, then begins. "Well, I guess I kinda have to start before my being a Morale Monitor for this to make sense. Ok, the disappearances then. Well, I did loose family. My grandmother, an uncle, and my little brother and sister, Anthony and Mia. Anthony was nine and Mia was six at the time of the Rapture. My mom, dad and me were the only ones left in my immediate family.

"I was thirteen when the disappeared. Naturally, I wanted to know what happened to them. I looked at the internet and found tons of funky ideas. When I heard Nicolae Carpathia say it was nuclear, I bought into that.

"My folks really liked Carpathia. When they found out there was an opening job as a Morale Monitor, they signed me up. "

Conrad and Lionel both laugh. We all look at them. " Well, it's just that we both got tricked into going there." Lionel says.

Felicia laughs. " Yeah,not many people signed up. Anyway, that is when I met Melinda, Lionel and Conrad. They made us a team. But, you guys pretty much know this part. You were kinda part of it.

"I guess I can fast- forward to the night before my death. Around that time, Rabbi Ben- Judah' s website had been marked as really bad. Me being me, I looked at it. I read some articles about getting saved and redemption, but it didn't make sense to me.

" The next day I drank the bad water. While I was dying and you, Vicki, were talking to me about Jesus' s love, it made sense. I accepted the gift of salvation then and there."

"That's amazing." Melinda says. She is clearly very excited about Felicia being here.

"Thanks." Felicia says, smiling. " Who else is here that I know?"

"Shelly, Charlie, Darrion." I say. " You might remember Mark and Mr. Stein. "

"I do remember Mr. Stein and other names sound familiar."

"So, what have you been doing lately?" Asks Conrad.

"Well, ever since my death I have been spending time with Anthony and Mia. They had been with my Grandmother since the Rapture, and since I was so young when I died, I stayed with her to. I have also been meeting new people and teaching Anthony and Mia about the Bible. "

"That's cool." Melinda says.

"Yeah. Maybe one day you can meet them."Felicia says, happily.

Melinda nods. I turn and look at Anne and Mico. They are still playing, Mico with a truck and Anne with a doll. Mico is starting to look a little tired. I look at Chloe, who is still asleep, rocking in her swing.

The conversation breaks into smaller ones and Melinda comes over to me.

"Thank You."

"For what?" I ask her.

"If it wasn't for you, she might not be here. And I might not be here either."

I smile."I was just doing what God called me to."

"Yeah, well you did a good job doing it. I don't think anyone ever got saved because of me." She says.

"Hey, don't say that. You were a great person and could have led tons of people to Jesus without even knowing it."

She smiles, but doesn't look convinced. "Yeah, I guess."

"I didn't know I led Felicia to Christ, but she is here. God works in mysterious ways, and He could have worked through you."


	14. Chapter 14

_Cold air whips against my body as I run. My feet hit the ground in rhythm with the rain. The darkness is everywhere. It is inescapable. _

_"Vicki!" A blood-curdling scream from admits the blackness. I look to find the voice, but I can't see. Suddenly, lights flash on and swerve around, as if trying to find someone. Yells come from behind me, but I don't look back._

_"Help" The voice cries. I run towards the sound, but with every footstep I take, it becomes fainter and fainter. _

_I run faster. The lights follow my every move. They never leave me. They stalk me. I can't shake them. The brightness of the light shines on my path ahead and shows what follows behind me._

_I look down at my leg, which is swelling and covered in blood. I limp as I run, and I am slowing down. My energy is running out and I don't know how much longer I can go. _

_I don't know why I am even still going. A sense of fear is making me run, although I have no clear idea of what is behind me. Something is behind me and I know it. But maybe I am also running towards something._

_I push on towards an unknown goal. My thoughts are jumbled. I am not thinking straight. I feel as if I might collapse any moment. I have no motivation to move on until-_

_"Vick!" I hear. The voice can only belong to one person. _

_Judd._

_I run,screaming his name but getting no response. I keep moving, looking frantically until I see a man standing in my way. I keep running, but he does not move. He puts his hand out, and I run into him. I fall onto my back and struggle to get up. The man wears a GC uniform with the name Jonathan Ashmore on it. I step back in fear. It can't be._

_It is the man who killed Chloe Williams._

_I stare at his emotionless face until I hear a desperate plea for help, "Vicki, help me!" _

_I look behind Ashmore and see Judd laying on his back, panting heavily, fear in his eyes. Above him stands another man in GC uniform. It is Fulcire. He is standing atop of Judd, pointing a gun at his head. I try to go save him, but Ashmore grabs me. I struggle to get out of his grasp, but he is stronger than me. They smile at me. Fulcire laughs at Judd then-_

I wake up in a cold sweat. Judd takes one look at me and knows. He doesn't say anything, but simply takes me into his arms and soothes me. I explain to him the nightmare that I had. He simply listens, nodding sympathetically.

"It's ok. It's all over. We are safe now. No more GC. Ok?" Judd says.

I look at him and reply, " I know it is over. But the memories aren't. "

Judd just smiles at me. " I know, but there were plenty of good memories. When it was you,me, Lionel and Ryan having dinner at my parents house. Studying and learning with Bruce. What about when we got married? Huh?"

I turn my head and let a slight smile slip onto my face. He is right. Why should I dwell on the bad memories when I can think about all the good things that happened. I don't answer. I just kiss him softly.

He laughs. " I'll take that as a yes."

"Yeah"

We talk more about the good memories and remember all the people we met and who helped us. The conversation eventually dwindles, and I fall asleep in Judd's arms, thinking about all the amazing things God did in my life.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys. Sorry I have not posted in a while. I have had some serious writer's block. I hope you like this new chapter.**

**And a special thanks to Left Behind Kids who left a very encouraging comment. Thanks for the suggestions. A few of them I am planning to use (some I had a bit of a different idea) Thanks for reading!**

**Ok, so here is the new chapter.**

* * *

I run to and fro in the living room, making everything just perfect. After a long day taking care of the kids with Judd, I am looking forward to some relaxation with some of the girls. Judd has taken the kids over to Lionel's place, where they can play while Judd and Lionel talk.

I haven't been able to talk to the girls as much as I would have liked since I am so busy taking care of my family. It strikes me as odd that a mere eighteen months ago, I was living in the Tribulation, running from the GC. All of our lives have changed so much.

The doorbell rings, and I can see Melinda,Felicia and Renee through the window. Shelly and Janie are coming up the walk with Darrion and Natalie behind them. I open the door to be swarmed with hugs and hellos. I make sure they all have seats, run to grab some water and for us then finally take a seat next to Renee.

"So," I say. " How have you guys been? What's new?"

They mummer responses, saying that they have been good. I sigh.

"Come on guys. Don't make me drag it out of you. "

Melinda pipes in,"I actually have a question for Darrion. How have you and Ryan been?"

Darrion smirks at her, but then laughs. "We are good. We're taking things slow, but it has been going really well. He is really a great guy."

"Good," Melinda responds. " Got to make sure he is taking good care of my little Darrion."

Darrion giggles. " He is." She pauses. " Ok, we are not just talking about my love life. Shelly,how are you and Conrad?"

Shelly looks at the ground and smiles. "Really good. We have been making preparations for the wedding. It is just...amazing. "

"Do you have a date set?" I ask.

Shelly shakes her head. " Not yet. We are still discussing that. We have made a few decisions. Tsion Ben-Judah said he will officiate it, and Bruce will defiantly be there."

Darrion gives a congratulatory smile. "That's great. We are happy for you guys." We all nod Natalie seems to be lost in thoughts, so Darrion calls her out. "Nat, you wanna say something?"

Natalie looks at her and Darrion just smiles. She sighs. "Why not? Well, Darrion actually knows this, but...well, for the past two week, I have gone on a few dates with someone."

The girls all ask who. These are the things we don't talk about over the phone, so we naturally want to know this first.

Natalie laughs. " It's... Mark."

This comes as a surprise to all of us. Natalie and Mark didn't know each other well during the Tribulation, but they have had a lot of time to bond.

Natalie must see the surprise in our eyes, because she jumps into explain. " We started hanging out about a year. We actually went on one of the same trips to help growing churches. After that, we became quick friends. We started growing closer and closer, until he finally asked me out. "

The girls congratulate her. Renee looks at us and shakes her head. " No love life for me. I'm not dating , engaged or married. And frankly, I am fine waiting for the right guy to come along."

We nod. Janie, Felicia and Melinda still not spoken. Janie looks to me. I'm not sure if she is trying to motion me to speak. They all know I am married.

Janie finally accepts that Felicia,Melinda and I all won't talk. She puts both her hands up in surrender. "Fine, I guess I am going. Lionel and I have been hanging out a lot. He hasn't asked me out or anything, but we are getting close. "

"That's great." I say. Janie gives me a nod of thanks.

"Aren't you gonna go Vicki?" Janie asks me.

I smile at her. " Ok, well... I am married to this guy named Judd and have three kids. You all know that."

Shelly leans forward. " Are you guys planning on adopting or having more kids?"

"We have talked about adopting, but we want to wait until Chloe is older."

Shelly nods. Melinda and Felicia are left. Melinda whispers something to Felicia and she nods.

"Well, a few weeks ago I met this guy have been hanging out a lot. He is really nice." Melinda says.

"Cool," Darrion says," How did you meet?"

"We met while I was working with the COT. He was wondering about volunteering, and we just started talking."

Felicia looks at her and Melinda gives her a reassuring smile. Felicia closes her eyes and breathes. " Well, I have not really know most of the group for long, and I really am not interested in anyone romantically yet, but John has been a really good friend. He has shown me around and talks to me and listens. He is sweet."

I smile. Most of these girls are going through things that I went through with Judd. The friendship, dating, engagement. We went through it all.

Our conversation continues, reminiscing good times during the Tribulation. We talk about the Glorious Appearing and what we have done during the Millennium. We talk until it's late and eventually the girls leave and Judd returns with a sleeping Chloe and very tired Anne and Mico.

We go and put the kids to bed and then come and sit in the living room. I tell him what the girls said and how they have been.

"They are all really lucky." Judd says. " But I am the luckiest of them all."

Judd kisses me. I look at him. "I love you." I say.

" I love you. I love you and Anne, Mico and Chloe. I love everything about our new lives."

I smile. " Me too."


End file.
